Debbie has an axe to grind against an old friend turned foe.
(Robert Voets/CBS)

The Survivor Game Changers preseason is officially underway. Every week day until the season premiere on March 8, Parade’s Josh Wigler will present a new story from the beaches of Fiji, as told in the Survivor contestants’ own words. Click here to start from the beginning, and click here for our table of contents and castaway photo gallery.

The bomb doors are open, and Debbie Wanner is prepared to fire. The previous three members of the Kaoh Rong Four are stepping into Game Changers without any major grudges toward their former cast mates, but Debbie? She’s the exception to the rule — to most rules, really — and she’s already very much at war, spying on her enemies at Ponderosa.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):I am watching from a little corner in the back. This is hysterical. I took one corner, Tony took the other corner, and we’re watching each other watch everybody. He’s signaling. We both know what we’re up to. That’s what’s cementing us.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):You have to play this game one day, kid. The people who are unaware that the game has already started are at a big loss already. There are people who, if you’re in the bathroom — and it’s individual stalls in the girl’s room — they will not go in the bathroom with you, even if a babysitter is in there. Big mistake. Won’t make eye contact. Won’t sit at a table. This is Game Changers, and I hate to tell you, but half this team is already playing hard — and I’m one of them.

But Debbie almost wasn’t here at all, or so she claims. This singular individual in Survivor lore, who has been compared to Coach Don’t Call Him Benjamin Wade in the past, says she nearly passed on the chance to come out for Game Changers.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):Quite frankly, I really didn’t want to do it. I’m on the downside of time. I’m 50 years old now. I don’t want to do this when I’m 55 or 60. I have other things to do, kiddo.

Aside from weathering time, there was the matter of weathering storms — or heatwaves, as it were. As a Survivor player, Debbie hails from Kaoh Rong, ballyhooed as the most difficult location and most physically demanding season in Survivor history. This reporter can attest to the extreme heat, having been on site for Second Chance. Debbie quickly points out that the returning players in Cambodia didn’t have it nearly as bad as her fellow Kaoh Rongers.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):We had it worse than them, because no one had established how horrifyingly hot it was, and the lack of water. And some things just aren’t worth dying for, you know? They’re just not.

But Fiji, the home of Game Changers, is one world apart from Cambodia.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):I get a phone call and I’m told that I’d be going from the worst place we’ve ever played to the best place. This won’t happen, that won’t happen…

Josh Wigler (Survivor press, Parade):And what’s your assessment of the conditions now that you’re out here? How does it compare to Cambodia?

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong): It’s going to be as hot during the day. However, at night… we’re only five degrees off on the equatorial distance, so Cambodia was about eight, and this is about fifteen. That’s going to make a big difference. At night, it’s actually going to be fairly decent. It’s much more beautiful here. It’s stunning. I’m waiting for hobbits to come over some of these rolling green hills. It’s actually majestic.

It’s new weather, and new people as well, with three key exceptions: Caleb Reynolds, Tai Trang and Aubry Bracco, all of whom played with Debbie during Season 32. Well, Debbie and Caleb didn’t exactly play together, but they did pass out together, on that mythically hot day that resulted in Caleb’s evacuation from the game.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):I have the biggest spot in my heart for Caleb. What I’m concerned about with Caleb is he didn’t learn the first time, and he’s going to go gung ho. The guy is ex-military. He’s very proud of his country. He doesn’t know how to give 90%. Out here, you get hurt, you’re done. I hope he makes the merge because he so deserves to. I’m concerned that he can hurt himself again. If he doesn’t do it physically, he’s going to do it strategically, because he has a somewhat awkward personality. He’s so wrapped up in his head. Buddy, you gotta make those alliances. If he makes the merge and doesn’t have a good strong alliance, he’s out.

Kind feelings toward Caleb, then. Check. What about Tai?

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):Tai… funny thing is, Tai, Troyzan and myself all have turtle necklaces on. I actually have three tortoises that live at my house. Something’s going to happen there.

Debbie’s cool with Tai, with a side order of Troyzan for good measure. Double check. Now what about Aubry?

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):Everybody knows that Aubry and I had a deal not to vote her out. Everybody knows that I kept my word and never wrote her name down, and she broke her word and blindsided me by going to the person who I went to, and that wasn’t good enough for her, so she f–ks me twice by then going to that person behind my back and having them vote me out. Everybody knows there’s bad blood between me and Aubry. And that’s cool.

It’s cool, unless your name is Aubry Bracco, in which case, you’re looking at an old friend turned mortal nemesis. Debbie makes no bones about it: she’s willing to work with Caleb and Tai, but when it comes to Aubry, there’s no going back to the way things were.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):Me and Aubry will pretend by the way that we’re going to play nice. But we both know we’re pretending. It’s a contest of who will get to who first between me and her. She knows it, and I know it.

Josh Wigler (Survivor press, Parade):Has it been said out loud between the two of you?

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):Oh, no. We’re going to play nice. But I know it, and she knows it. She knows I know it, and I know she knows it.

Debbie’s imminent battle owes its origin to her final days in Kaoh Rong. It was the second vote of the merge (and would have been the third if not for a prior medical evacuation), and Julia Sokolowski had just won a much-needed immunity challenge, cheating elimination for another few days at least. With Julia immune, Debbie wanted to make a move against the Beauty and the Beasts alliance of Tai, Kyle Jason and Scot Pollard. Aubry initiated another plan instead, rallying enough troops to come after Debbie. She speaks about that day as if it were yesterday.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):Aubry is very neurotic, and I mean that in a good way. Every little thing was like a chess game torturing her, doing the numbers. I do that too, just not to the point of making myself insane. When Aubry came to me initially, I said to her, “Who do you want it to be, now that Julia has immunity?” And this is after Aubry wanted to go for Julia, when I wanted to take out one of the guys or you’re at their mercy. And she didn’t have a name. I knew it right then and there: Aubry’s targeting me. I made two very bad mistakes: telling her my true intentions by telling her I don’t want to take Julia out, and not going over to the guys and asking them who they want it to be. But we don’t have as much time as the viewing audience thinks we have. It was coming down to the wire. I actually thought the guys were going to go for Aubry for a minute. But it is what it is. Two mistakes I will not be making again.

The first mistake — trusting Aubry — is clear in how Debbie can implement a course-correction during Game Changers. The second mistake, not working with Jason and Scot? It applies here too, in its own way. At the time of her demise in Kaoh Rong, Jason and Scot were causing chaos around camp, putting out fires and hiding tools. They were not the most popular players on the beach, and Debbie was not inclined to work with them in that moment. (“When I saw Scot and Jason at the finale, we hugged,” she remembers. “But they were d–ks at Ponderosa. They were d–ks. And they really got a lucky edit, and I will say that to their face. It was bad.”) Heading into Game Changers, Debbie says she won’t let any of those kinds of personal issues stand in the way of her mission.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):Provided you’re not a child molester and you’re not fighting dogs, I’m going to find something in common with you. I can find something in common with everybody.

Take, for example, one of the players Debbie already has her eye on for an alliance: the aforementioned Tony Vlachos, winner of Survivor Cagayan, the loudest personality in a group filled with loud personalities, and one of Debbie’s favorite people at Ponderosa.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):He surprises the hell out of me. Tony is probably in the best physical shape here. I’m really good at assessing people’s condition. I see muscle. I see upper body strength. I see the chest of a freaking oxen! And yet, Tony is very intuitive, very smart, and very keen to details.

That’s how she views Tony as a player. As a person?

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):I don’t really like Tony. I think Tony’s the kind of cop who thinks, “I’m a cop, and I can bust your ass if I want to, and I don’t care if your daddy’s a lawyer, because I’m a cop and I have this badge.” I think that’s how Tony is in real life. I think he lies, cheats, manipulates, steals, etcetera etcetera — but I’m going to work with him out here, because I like him for this game.

Beyond Tony, Debbie has her eye on several other potential recruits for her cause, as well as potential enemies. She’s categorized the entire cast using a system that’s based on a very different but no less sacred game than Survivor.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):I’ve divided the 20 people Paper, Rock and Scissors. The Rocks are the gladiatorial men: Ozzy, JT, Caleb. Then there’s the people I’m calling the Scissors, the people who are never going to take out a gladiator, a Rock, but have the strategic gameplay and some muscle. That’s where I fit. People are going to see me as someone not to get rid of early, because I’m strong, smart, and someone they can work with.

Josh Wigler (Survivor press, Parade):Who are the Papers?

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):I mean this with all due respect: they don’t have a lot of experience in a survival situation or military. They are Little Ciera, Hali, Cirie, Sandra Diaz — who, in my opinion, got really lucky twice…

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):She flew under the radar. God bless her, I hope some of that luck rubs off on me. Luck does come up in this game. But she’s a paper. And Andrea. The weakest ones are going. They’re my Paper players. I’m a Scissor, and I’m in the middle of the pack.

There’s one obvious flaw in Debbie’s design, though: as anyone who survived their third grade art class knows all too well, paper can cut back.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):That’s right! And that’s why I did it like that! Good job.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):I will reassess as I get more information. But for right now, I’m feeling everybody out. I can already see these guys bashing their big ram horns together in my head. I see them eyeballing each other. You make it to the merge, then let the guys battle it out. You have to fly under the radar. Be strong, be tough, no whining, work around camp. That’s my plan. I’m latching onto my guys.

Debbie’s desire for an alpha male army is a departure from her preference in allies during Kaoh Rong. Back then, she said she wanted to make sure a woman won the game. This time?

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):I do want a woman to win, and that woman is me. It’s absolutely out the window this time. I’ve known this for many years… I’m a chemist. I’m a captain in the Air Force Auxiliary. I’m around men. I have three brothers. I don’t know what it is that makes women think they have to rip apart other women. It’s just this popularity and beauty contest or who’s got the smallest ass and who’s got the biggest t—ts. I lose out all the way around. So I do want a woman to win, and that woman is me. I’m latching onto the guys to get there.

Of course, all of this depends on Debbie being able to convince these players to come along for the ride. There are reasons to question Debbie’s recruitment abilities. Look no further than her effort to pull in Tai early on in the merge. And look no further than Debbie’s association with three other players from Kaoh Rong as a possible warning sign. But Debbie doesn’t see it as an issue.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):It’s irrelevant. Everybody’s played with somebody else. Most of these people have screwed each other over: Tony and Sarah, Malcolm and Andrea, Ciera and Brad, and I’ve filed every single one in my head for when the right opportunity comes. Hey, remember when she did this to you? Doesn’t that piss you off to this day? I actually wrote it down on paper. Who has screwed who? Who has helped who? Who is loyal to who? I mapped it all out.

Besides, Debbie has her own Kaoh Rong score to settle.

Debbie Wanner (Kaoh Rong):I love Aubry. I admire her. I was not kidding when I said I do not regret keeping her in the game. When others said let her go, easy number, I never would have wanted her to go home with her head between her legs thinking she couldn’t do it. I am very proud of her. From neurotic nerd to geek goddess. I mean it all the way. However, it’s a game. It’s in good sport — but my sport is now blood sport. I can’t trust her twice, babe.

Zeke Smith (Millennials vs Gen X): Oh, Debbie. I love Debbie! I think Debbie and I can get along great. Put the eccentric people together and it’s all the more fun.

Sarah Lacina (Cagayan): I love Debbie. She reminds me of Trish. Trish is my favorite person from my season. I think Debbie is going to become my second most favorite person.

Michaela Bradshaw (Millennials vs Gen X): Miss Debbie! I like Debbie. She’s such a funny, goofy little woman. She’s petite but you can tell she has a great competitive spirit about her. And she’s not conniving. She really isn’t! I like that. I can work with that. And I like old people. Old people and me, we get along pretty well. Debbie’s smart. She’s crazy, but she’s smart. She has 22 jobs!

Jeff Probst (Executive Producer and Host): You look at Debbie’s history and you laugh when you list out all her jobs, but she’s actually done them! It’s a weird composite of a lot of things.

Malcolm Freberg (Philippines, Caramoan): I’m not against working with Debbie, coming out the gate. In a weird way, I think she could go deep, and I’m a little worried about that. But she’s someone I think I can flatter. It seemed to work for Nick for a minute last season.

Josh Wigler (Survivor press, Parade): Emphasis on for a minute.

Malcolm Freberg (Philippines, Caramoan): I would like to give myself a bit of credit for being more charming than Nick. I’ve never met him but I’ll claim my social game.

JT Thomas (Tocantins, Heroes vs Villains): Debbie, I can work with. She makes smart decisions. She’s aware. Very aware of her surroundings and what people are up to. For me, I like keeping around the good players. Team up with them so they don’t team up and come after me. Stephen, I knew he was the biggest threat in Tocantins. We got together and we took it to the end.

Josh Wigler (Survivor press, Parade): Do you see the Coach comparisons, and if so, do you like that?

JT Thomas (Tocantins, Heroes vs Villains): I do see it and I do like it. She’s eccentric or what have you, but she’s smarter than Coach was. She’s a smarter game player than Coach was. As the game went on, she got better and better. She had a shaky time right before she left, but her decisions were on point.

Jeff Probst (Executive Producer and Host): If I was on a tribe with Debbie and wanting to get into an alliance with her, I would say this: “Debbie, I actually really enjoy you but can you please not talk to me that much? You’re going to drive me nuts and I don’t want you to. But if you continue to talk to me and somebody wants to take you out, there may come a day where I just say okay.” I do think Debbie’s biggest question is will the other players be wise enough to see she talks a lot, but how can we use her? Or will they get frustrated? My hunch is Debbie will last longer, because experienced players know they can get rid of her later.

Zeke Smith (Millennials vs Gen X): I have a great appreciation for how Debbie played. She played very well. The only thing with Debbie is that I want to be the crazy person who is in charge, and she will want to be the crazy person in charge. At some point, we’re going to turn on each other. Maybe a little earlier than is necessary. But that’s what happens when you put eccentric people together.

Caleb Reynolds (Kaoh Rong): Debbie, she’s kind of a fruit loop. She’s hard to figure out. Outside of being hard to figure out, I will say she was loyal to the people she wanted to be loyal to. I won’t know until I’m out there.

Tai Trang (Kaoh Rong): Debbie will be really true to her alliance. I would work with her. But she can step on a lot of toes. She’s very direct. It’s a fine line. She might bring you down with her.

Jeff Varner (Australian Outback, Cambodia): She’s crazy. Unpredictable. I want to be her friend, but I’m not going to trust her for two seconds. Debbie is unpredictable. She’ll create a scenario in her head that doesn’t even exist and vote according to it. Let’s get rid of Debbie as soon as we can.

Sierra Dawn Thomas (Worlds Apart): Me and Debbie couldn’t be more opposite, I don’t think. I don’t think she’ll like me much. I think I’ll be confused by her. I don’t think there’s going to be much working together there.

Ciera Eastin (Blood vs Water, Cambodia): She’s weird. She reminds me of Monica Culpepper slightly, in the sense that she’s a little bit motherly. That’s threatening directly to me, in terms of my past experiences with Monica. She’s a great person to take to the end, it seems like.

Andrea Boehlke (Redemption Island, Caramoan): Debbie is such a whackadoo. I loved watching her on her season. I would love to work with Debbie. It’s just a matter of what does Debbie think of me? During her season she made some comments about the Beauty girls. But she did vote for Michele…

Aubry Bracco (Kaoh Rong): The thing about Debbie is the way the season ended, I knew she didn’t vote for me. But I think when she watched it and saw herself glowingly talk about my game and then not vote for me? It was probably a bit weird to watch that. We’re both Scorpios, we both know each other. I do not hold a grudge against Debbie. I love Debbie. I respect Debbie. I believe Debbie has done everything that she has said in her life, which I know not all people do.

Josh Wigler (Survivor press, Parade): What do you think she thinks of you?

Aubry Bracco (Kaoh Rong): She probably thinks I’m gunning after her, so she should gun after me. But the good thing is I think knowing who your threats are can be even more powerful than knowing who your friends are. I know when Debbie lies. Her eyes turn a certain shade of green. I’m glad I know that.

Josh Wigler is a writer, editor and podcaster who has been published by MTV News, New York Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Comic Book Resources and more. He is the co-author ofThe Evolution of Strategy: 30 Seasons of Survivor, an audiobook chronicling the reality TV show’s transformation, and one of the hosts of Post Show Recaps, a podcast about film and television. Follow Josh on Twitter @roundhoward.